Pandora's Box
by Sweetliberations
Summary: Everything up to the end The Departure. Unfortunately, Michael didn't get out of the Granolith before it's fateful departure. But the warriors epic saga on earth is not close to being finished
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own or profit from the theme or characters of Roswell**

**Pairing: M&MRating: MatureSummary: Everything up to the end The Departure. Unfortunately, Michael didn't get out of the Granolith before it's fateful departure. But the warriors epic saga on earth is not close to being finished. **

**Author's note: So this is my first M&M story, so please be kind. I hope you all have the patience to stick with me, I want to set a good back ground before jumping into the thick of things. Side Note - I suck at making banners - if anyone is willing to set out there for me I would really appreciate it**

**~~~ 1 ~~~**

**Maria DeLuca was fit to be tied. **

**Falling to her knees, while pushing her Moroccan style comforter out of the way, she peered under the bed for her missing shoe. Already running fifteen minutes late, the last thing she needed was a wardrobe malfunction. Not when the future of the only tie she had left to her mother was on the line. **

**It was hard enough living with the guilt. There was no one else blame for the rapidly declining profits. Stupidly she'd ignored the kind and well meaning advice from Liz's parents, suggesting she enroll into a few business courses at the local Community College. **

**Did she listen? No of course not. She'd been so full of stubborn pride, telling herself and anyone who would listen how she'd worked with her Mother since she was eight and she could run the store with her eyes closed. **

_**Yeah, run the store into the ground**_**. She thought bitterly. Giving up her search under the bed, she scooted across the room to the closet on her knees, becoming more frantic as every second passed. In less than thirty minutes she had a meeting with a Personal Banker about a loan to get her through the next few months. **

**Having taken pity on her after a particularly spectacular melt down, Jeff Parker had taken a weekend off from running the Crashdown to go over the books with her. After the first hour it had been crystal clear she was screwed in a monumental kind of way. Half a bottle of Tylenol later, Jeff rubbed the back of his neck and gave her look that said it all. **

**Remembering the look of regret on his face, she had broken down again. It had seemed so unfair. Everything important to her was sooner or later was ripped away. But to his credit, Jeff sat with her, patting her hand while supplying her with tissue, telling her not to give up hope. That all shop owners found themselves in the red, especially in a declining economy. Most of the town was getting hit hard and she needed to learn how to adapt. **

**Promising to look into a few leads, Jeff asked her not to worry. Like that was even an option. True to his words, he worked some kind of magic. Her Mother's New Age-slash-Alien-slash-Native American themed store was in for a complete overhaul. If the loan wasn't approved there were a few back up plans she could choose from. **

**Glancing over at clock she almost hyperventilated. She'd last seen the shoes two days ago. She'd been hyped knowing how perfect they would look with the outfit she had in mind for this fateful meeting. The added bonus was not having to spend a dime. Not that she really had luxury to go out and buy a new pair, seeing how she had to raid the piggy bank she'd received on her ninth birthday to put gas in the Jetta. **

**Blowing at a stray curl out of her face, she scanned the room one last time before heading back to the living room. Not making it far she felt a sharp screaming pain shoot up from her toe after slamming to up against the dresser. **

"**Holy-son-of-a-biscuit!" Shouting out in agony her fingers clamped down on the edge of the dresser, she forced herself to take a deep breath and push past the pain. "Crap. Crap. Crap."**

**A whimper from behind made her turn to reassure her six month old puppy Mommy was ok, Maria groaned out loud instead. Dangling from his little puppy mouth, and probably soaked in puppy slobber, was her missing shoe. **

"**Bad Spaceboy. Bad." Careful not to shout, knowing the little squirt would run and hide, Maria approached carefully. Talking to the fluffy yellow butterball in a sing song voice, she tried to smile in reassurance. "Give Mama her shoe and I promise to take you for an extra long walk tonight." **

**At that moment, the puppy's eyes brightened and with a playful growl he bolted to the living room. "Mommy is so going to get you for this!" **

**Five minutes and a game of tug of war later, Maria hurried out the door. Her oversized purse swung over her shoulder, sunglasses perched on top of her head, and large travel mug of coffee in hand she nervously jingled her keys as she made her way to the Jetta. **

**If she bypassed Main street, instead taking Elm, she'd avoid at least two sets of traffic lights. But that meant driving past Michael's old apartment. Something she tried to avoid unless she there was no other option. Maybe she could take Cherry Street instead. Yanking the car door open, ignoring the loud creaking noise it made, she tossed the bag onto the passenger seat before getting in. **

"**You can do this." Looking at herself in the review mirror, Maria gave herself a well needed pep talk. "You're dressed for success. No one will even notice the teeth mark on the shoe straps. What ever you do today, no matter if you get the loan or not, keep your cool chica."**

**Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to force the anxiety to lessen, Maria looked one last time in the mirror. Placing the key into the ignition, she held her prayed for the almost antique car to turn over. The moment the car came to life, Maria sighed in relief. **

**Until of course the stupid thing sputtered and died. **

**Trying to ignore the sound of his cell vibrating on the night stand next to his bed, Kyle groaned and burrowed his head under a pillow. He only got two days a week to sleep in and anyone who knew him, knew calling before ten was only asking for an ear full. **

**Sighing when the annoying noise ceased, he tugged at the blankets and rolled over. Shoving the pillow back under his head, he was almost lulled back to a really nice dream with skimpy swimsuits and lots of oil, when the damn thing went off again. **

**A disgruntled growl vibrated through his chest as he flipped over on his back and reached blindly for the offending object destined to keep him from his dream world. With the coordination of a one year old he struggled to open the phone while putting it up to his ear. "Whoever this is, I officially hate you."**

"**Kyle I need you."**

"**Those words coming out of any other woman's mouth is my ultimate fantasy." Rubbing at dry tired eyes, Kyle kicked at the covers knowing from her desperate plea the Jetta had once again taken a died at the most inconvenient time. "Coming out of yours makes me -."**

"**Kyle I can't take our usual banter this morning." The mournful way she said this was all it took for him to swallow the rest of his words. He hated hearing her so miserable and would do anything to have the old Maria back. "I can't be late to the bank, too much is riding on this."**

**It's all he needed to hear before jumping out of bed. "Give me five minutes." **

**It took him six and from the intense look on her face, Kyle was wondering if taking a morning piss had been the best idea. It wasn't until she reached the truck when he noticed her clothing. Still staring when she'd pulled herself into the cab and shutting the door with an impatient bang, he raised a brow when her annoyed expression turned to him.**

"**Any reason you're dressed like my second grade teacher?" Shifting the truck into drive, Kyle bit the inside of his cheek to laugh at her look of outrage. **

**After years of being friends with Maria, there was an expectation when it came to her choice of clothing. Sure she'd gone through her phases over the last few years. Phases he'd rather forget. **

**After the Pod Squad had taken their final exit she'd become a shell of her former self. Baggy had become the cornerstone of her expression. Oversized shirts and pants, had replaced her hip sheek look. It didn't get any better when Liz had bailed on the town and anyone associated with the Czechoslovakian secret. After a year of this unflattering look, she'd started to become Maria again. **

**But when Amy had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Maria slipped into her dark phase. Black clothing and severe hair styles spoke of her inner suffering. It was during this time when Maria really took a turn for the worse. A time when he'd been put in a position of driving Maria to a clinic to treat a depression that was killing her slowly.**

**He'd also been the one to pick her up, relived beyond words to see a slight twinkle in her eyes again. From that day she'd adopted what he liked to call her costume chapter in her life. Brightly colored clothing replaced the drab depressing attire. It fit in well with the wacky store she was now running, and it reminded him a little of the old Maria. **

**So to see her in a plan tan, knee length skirt, with an obnoxiously crisp white blouse made his skin crawl. The look was not Maria. **

"**Oh I'm sorry, did I forget to mention my future is riding on this meeting?" **

"**I think you might of."**

**Crossing her arms across over her chest, her index finger tapping on her arm, Maria tried to ignore the burning desire to chew Kyle's face off. What she needed to do was focus. To empty her mind, to think positive thoughts. Concentrate on keeping her cool. Present herself as a well put together business woman. A woman who had a plan, a plan -.**

"**You know what Kyle Valenti?" Twisting her body to face him, Maria pointed her finger inches away from his face. "This is a perfectly put together outfit. I spent three days, **_**three**_**, deciding what to wear. Do you have any idea how important the right image is? I need to look the part of a professional and successful business woman."**

"**Riiiight." Nodding, Kyle took a right onto Cherry Street knowing if he took Elm, Maria may have a Chernobyl sized melt down. "So did that shipment of bobble head aliens come in yet?" **

"**You just crack me up." **

"**Maria, you own the Meta-Fiction store in a town. A town, by the way , you grew up in. Half the population could probably could pinpoint the exact date you were potty trained."**

**I strange look crossed Maria's face as all the fight drained from her slender frame. "What am I doing? I'm so screwed." **

**Not liking the turn of the conversation, Kyle watched Maria out of the corner of his eye. He knew from past experiences her moods were unpredictable. The last six years had been rough on her. Emotionally she'd been chewed up and spit out. **

"**So who's your meeting with?" **

"**Scott Mitchell."**

"**The booger eater?" Pulling into the parking lot of the Roswell Credit Union, Kyle shook his head chuckling. "When did that dumb ass move back to town?"**

**Scrunching her nose, Maria tried to forget exactly how Snotty Scotty got his nick name. She needed to stay focused on getting the loan to save her Mom's store. The last thing she needed was to be caught staring at the guy's nose. **

"**How should I know?" Collecting up her things, she hated the panicked pace of her heartbeat. **

"**Do you need a ride home?" **

"**I'll give you a call." Scooting out of the cab and hopping to the ground Maria almost closed the door before stopping. "Kyle, thanks. You're a life saver." **

**The inside of the Roswell Credit Union looked like the wild west had regurgitated one idiotic cliché after another over any surface that dared to be bare. Pictures of legends like Butch Cassidy and Jesse James hung on the walls. The irony brought a slight smile to her face. **

"**Maria DeLuca?" Turning at the call of her name, Maria looked in the direction the voice came from. Trying to school her features into what she hoped looked like the picture of pure calm, Maria mentally lectured herself to be the professional business woman no one thought she could be. **

"**Scott." Heading over to the office he was standing in front of, Maria didn't miss the way he looked down at the watch on his wrist. It was a calculated move, showing her he noticed she was five minutes late. For a man who's lively hood also depended on people skills she wondered if his lack of manners was how he treated everyone, or if his ignorant power play was reserved only for her. **

"**Ms. DeLuca." The smile on his face was definitely forced, giving him a look of painful constipation, then an expression of greeting. "Why don't you take a seat here in my office, I have a few pages to get off the printer."**

**Cocking her head to the side as he brushed past her, Maria huffed in annoyance. Out of all the ways this meeting could start, going down hill fast was one she was wanting to avoid. Firmly under the impression she was fully capable of submarining her own future. She wasn't overly thrilled knowing she now had competition. **

**Deciding to take a seat and not push her luck, Maria studied the small office, trying to find any possible proof the person in charge of her fate had a human side. The prospect looked grim. **

**There was a spider plant dying in the corner, it's poor appendages a sickly brown. The ground littered with shriveled up leaves. A picture sat on the corner of his desk and from where she was sitting it looked like his graduation picture from whatever college he went to. **

"**Perfect." Muttering under her breath, Maria considered grabbing her purse and throwing in the towel. **

"**Sorry about that Ms. DeLuca." Sounding anything but sorry, he made his way around to his seat behind the desk. Taking his time to sort out the pages in front of him, he pulled out a file from his desk. The silence in the office was oppressive. **

**Clearing his throat, he looked up and her stomach clenched at the almost concealed smugness in his eyes. "There's a few, **_**concerns**_** with your loan."**

**This wasn't a shocking surprise, Jeff had warned her the bank wasn't going to be an easy hurdle. What he didn't say was that the personal banker was going to be a butt face. **

"**Obviously, the last year has been hard. But let's be honest, with the economy the way it is, everyone is having a tough time." Congratulating herself on how relaxed she sounded, Maria ignored the knots in her stomach. "If I honestly believed the store was unsalvageable I wouldn't have come to your bank. I believe in my application I also submitted my projected business plans to you." **

**Silently thanking Jeff Parker for giving her the right words to use, Maria scrutinized Scott's expression, seeing if what she said had any impact. **

"**Yes, I received the projections." Picking up one of the folders off his desk, he didn't even bother looking down. "Ms. DeLuca -."**

"**I think it'd be perfectly expectable for you to call me Maria." No longer able to hold her tongue on his lack of small town manners, Maria could feel her face growing hot. "We went to school for thirteen years. I think we're well past you needing to address me by my last name."**

**The corners of his mouth turned down as he stared over his desk at her. "Right. As I was saying, the bank has a few concerns with your request."**

**The room grew quiet again. She remained silent, knowing without any doubt he was waiting for her to ask him what these **_**concerns**_** were. It was clear by his rude behavior and non-existent people skills, he was using his leverage to make himself feel important. She may not be the great business owner her Mother or Jeff Parker were, but she wasn't brain damaged either. **

**The loan had been a long shot. She knew that and so had Jeff. That's why there was a back up plan. A plan she wasn't overly in love with and it would mean losing the store, but it was a plan. Her heart felt heavy and the loss made it hard to swallow. If she had been approved she wouldn't be on the receiving end of what seemed to be years of pent up aggression hidden behind a façade of passive aggressive. **

**Well she sure as hell wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of breaking down in his office so he could gloat about it later. For all she cared, they could sit here all day staring at each other. She had her pride, and that wasn't something this two bit bank could take away. **

**It only took a few minutes before Scott started to fidget. **

**Clearing his throat again, a habit that was starting to get on her nerves, Scott tapped on the desktop. She could almost see him trying to figure out how to turn things around again. **

"**The bottom line is, due to the economy the bank isn't in the position to take on any high risk loans." The smug twinkle was back in his eyes. "The **_**unique**_** theme of your business doesn't scream profit."**

"**Which unique theme are you referring to?" She asked sweetly, purposely playing dumb. "The New Age one? The Alien one? Or are you talking about the Native American theme?"**

"**A little bit of each." He answered dryly. "But mostly the alien one, which seems to be the most prominent theme of the store."**

**Her mouth dropped open and she nearly lost the ability to speak. "You are kidding right?"**

"**Ms. DeL-"**

"**Maria." Glaring over at her from across the desk, clearly put out for having his lack of respect shoved in his face. Maria only felt a moment of a moment of victory. She knew at the end of this encounter she wasn't going to win. "Every year the town's tourist rate drops, even the Crash Down festival is dangerously close to being canceled due to low funds and attendance. Let's be realistic, there hasn't been a sitting in six years."**

**Like she needed captain obvious to point that little fact out to her. She lived everyday of her life with an gaping hole inside of her soul. What the little prick didn't know, it'd been nearly seven years since the last sighting. **

**She would know, because there hadn't been a day when she hadn't scouted the net for the possibility of a sighting. Her favorites was jammed full of every site she could find. Some were more reliable than others. But she was at the point she'd take a lead from any aluminum foil hat wearing freak. It was getting a little unsettling that there hadn't been a sitting since they left.**

**None. Zip. Nada. **

"**So basically Ms. - Maria." Scott went on. "At this time the bank isn't in the position to approve your request for a business loan."**

"**Fine." Smiling back at him with gritted teeth, Maria felt her blood pressure begin to rise. "How about a personal loan?"**

"**I also took a look at that." The slight smirk was back, he reached for another stack of papers "From what I can see your utilization is high. Debt to income ratio is way off. Not to mention the medical collections you have."**

"**You really enjoy this job dontcha?" Maria felt the last thin shred of self control snap. **

**The frown on the banker's face made her feel good knowing she'd successfully turned the conversation in a direction he wasn't anticipating. "I don't understand."**

"**Oh, I'm sure you do." Standing up while snatching her purse from the floor, Maria glared at him. "You were a booger eating looser in school. Now you've gotten your golden opportunity to dish out your revenge. I could've handled a simple 'you didn't qualify' response over the phone. Instead you had to bring me in here and do your best to humiliate me."**

**Not feeling better in the least, not even at the look of utter shock on his face, Maria spun on her heel and heeded for the nearest exit. Stopping at the door, she looked back. "Oh and for the record, your plant is in serious need of watering and only a momma's boy has pictures of himself on his desk."**


	2. Chapter 2

~~~2~~~

There was no better place than Senor Chows to tie one on. Typically, she was more of a Cody's Roadhouse kind of gal. Sipping down a few with Kyle while making a mockery of herself on the pool tables. Sometimes the house band didn't suck and she found herself tapping her foot to the beat of the music.

Today she wasn't looking for a way to burn away few hours. Nope, she was on a mission. Determined to drink through the funds put aside for next months phone bill, Maria stubbornly ignored the displeased look the bartender was giving her. Like she had any right to look at her in _that _way.

The last year hadn't been any more kind on the restaurant than it had her Mom's shop. It was clear by the stagnant lunch crowd their books weren't looking all that spectacular. Why should it matter that the locals had started using their bar as a midday drinking hole? A place to escape to for an hour to numb their pain. Money was money, right?

"Can I have another?" Putting her elbow to rest on top of the bar to help keep her head from spinning, she ignored the huff from the older woman. All she cared about was keeping her glass full.

"Make that two Louise." A familiar voice came from behind and Maria felt a moments flash of being caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be. It took her second to remind herself she'd been legal for a couple of years.

"Thought I would find you here." Jim took the stool next to her, thanking the bartender for the drinks she was reluctant to serve."Let me guess, Ms Prohibition back there called you." Glaring at the woman as she placed the glass in front of her, Maria missed the slight nod Jim made to the other woman. "Might have." He replied in a noncommittal tone while raising the frosty bottle to his lips. With a sigh, Maria looked at his expectantly. "Just get it over with." "Don't know what you're referring to. I'm just here for the beer.""Umph, right. We both know you came here to tell me how drinking isn't the answer." Her words were getting slightly slurred as she picked up her glass to fix that little problem. Snorting, he took another sip. "Maria, I think you're old enough to know that sometimes drinking is the only answer." Sighing, Maria felt her eyes sting. There were no truer words. "I didn't get the loan.""I know." Looking straight ahead, Jim let her talk."And you should've seen how Snotty Scotty sat there talking to me like I was some nobody." Sniffing, she gulped down half her glass. "He even had the audacity to point out how there hasn't been any sightings in six years." "Moron." Jim responded gruffly. "Been more like seven.""Exactly!" Picking up her glass, in her drunken outrage she waived it around. "What a booger face.""Want me to come up with some bogus bench warrant?" Smirking at the evil grin inching across her face, Jim motioned the bartender for another round."You can do that?""Wouldn't be too hard." "Huh." A sloppy half smile on her face, Maria stared off into space for a few minutes. Giving her time to enjoy whatever mental image she was painting in her brain, Jim waited for her to take another drink. "Kyle was waiting for you to call him so he could give you a ride home.""I know." Her head hung low, to shield him from the look of utter defeat. "Just needed to be alone." "Understandable." Having lived through his own share of humiliation himself, his words were softly spoken. Jim watched as she drained the rest of the contents in her glass. "Louise how about another round?""Sheriff?" The older woman raised a questioning brow at Maria, who was struggling to keep her eyes open. Pulling the wallet out of his back pocket he flipped it open and pulled out a credit card. "Why don't you ring it up with whatever she's had and mine.""Of course." Looking relieved. she snatched the card out of hand. "You didn't need to do that." Looking over at him woefully, Maria sighed. "Life really can suck.""Yes it can." With a sad smile, Jim wished like hell Maria wouldn't have had to learn that little life's lesson so young. "I'd like to promise you it'll get better." They sat there for a few minutes, both stuck in their own thoughts. "I really miss her.""Your Mom was one special Lady." The memory of the lively and unpredictable woman brought a bitter sweet smile to his face. There had been an air about her that always seemed to brighten a persons day."I failed her." Turning on the barstool, Jim gave her a hard look. "You listen here, you didn't fail her. You did the best possible job of keeping that place going.""But it wasn't good enough.""I can't say Amy could've done any better. Maria, you can't beat yourself up over this.""It feels like I'm losing her all over again." A lone tear fell from her eye, making it half way down her cheek before she brushed it away. "Your Mother wouldn't have wanted you to live like this.""I know." Barely able to get her glass anywhere near her lips, Maria struggled for a minute before giving up. "How come I'm the only one who hasn't been able to let go?" He knew she was no longer talking about her mother. She was onto the topic which had forever changed their lives. "Why would you think any of us has gotten past it?""Puleez." Rolling her eyes and almost falling off the barstool, Maria was saved in the nick of time by Jim's quick reflexes. Un-phased, she went on. "Liz is some over educated scientist working for more money than I'll ever see. Kyle owns a house and has a job he doesn't suck at. And you're back to being Sheriff. You've all gotten past the alien madness. But here I am. Stuck."Her words were treading on dangerous ground. Taking a quick look around, Jim knew it was about time to wrap this up. Maria was now to the point where the alcohol had made it impossible to keep the muzzle on her mouth. Luckily they were alone. "What was the use of all that?" Waiving her hand awkwardly in the air, Maria nearly unseated herself again. This time she caught herself before crashing to the ground. "We put our lives on the line for those ungrateful Chubvokians." Her mouth pouted. "Czechomofians."'Maria -.""I was shot at damit! The Jetta has more holes in it than Swiss Cheese." "Darlin I was there -." "I lost my virginity to him and what does he do?" Dragging a hand down his face, Jim wished he hadn't heard that last part. "He jumps on the first spaceship available and takes off.""Perhaps we should get you home?" Seeing the way Louise was studying them when she came over with his credit card and receipt, Jim finished off his drink. "I'm not done yet." Her slurred words were almost drowned out as she clumsily snatched her drink off the pitted bar top. Slinging back the last of the liquid she setting it down with a little more force than needed. "I wanna nudder." Before he could suggest they should take their conversation someplace else, her eyes crossed as her head slummed forward and fell against the bar. ~~~*~~~"She's shit faced." Helping his Dad with the passenger door, Kyle grimaced at the drool mark Maria left on the window. Studying the way her face was pressed against the glass, it reminded him of one of those fishes that sucked at the inside of a fish tank. "Not any worse than you've been." Rounding the front of the Cherokee Jeep, he gave his son a knowing glance. "At least she didn't puke all over the front seat.""I only did that once." Appalled his father would even compare his over indulgence with this, Kyle unbuckled the seat belt that was keeping Maria from falling over. Careful to readjust her position so she was slumped over, head resting against the dashboard, he wondered if maybe his Dad had hexed them both. The last thing he wanted was to have Maria get sick all over him. There was only so much a friend should have to endure. "If I recall, it was more like once a week for two months straight." Jim snorted. "My car smelled like a damn pine tree."

"Yeah yuck it up old man." Sure that Maria was safe for the moment, Kyle turned to raise a brow at his father. "Should we discuss your little phase when I find you passed out on the kitchen floor?"

"Only if you wouldn't mind talkin' about the time you wanted to impress that blond at the Stop and Go -."

Glaring at his father knowing he'd won this round, Kyle turned his back on the mocking laughter. Arranging Maria limp body into his arms, Kyle grunted as he shifted her weight out of the front seat. "Jesus."

Slapping his son upside the back of his head, Jim shook his head in impatience. "Haven't I taught you anything. Never mess around about a woman's weight. You're lucky she's passed out, or you'd be nursing a well deserved black eye."

"Who said I was joking?" Struggling up the walk to Maria's front porch his eyes stayed focused on the front door. It wasn't that Maria was anywhere near overweight. It was more about how she had at least a good three inches on him.

Hurrying to the door, Jim swallowed back the shit eating grin threatening to split his face in two as he watched Kyle struggle. His son's progress was slow. Even in the dim lighting he could see how red Kyle's face was getting under the physical labor.

It did an old man's heart good, witnessing as the younger generation was forced to realize they were not as invincible as they believed. For years Kyle had been pointing out his graying hair and receding hairline as he ran circles around him on the basketball court. Yeah, it was nice to see his son meet the first stage of what it meant to get older.

"You just gonna stand there, or do you think you could give me a hand?" His words were raspy, as Kyle tried to make it up the first step.

Contemplating if clapping would be pushing his luck, Jim moved forward and patted Maria softly on the cheek. "Maria, honey, time to wake up."

Slowly her eyelids fluttered open. "Home already?"

Looking slowly from father to son, Maria yawned loudly and worked her way out of Kyle's aching arms. "I really need to pee."

The moment her feet hit the first step, she teetered to the side before straightening herself out. Patting Jim's cheek in turn as she passed him to the house she missed the dumbfounded look on Kyle's face.

Breaking into a hard laugh at his son's stuttering, Jim shrugged. "First thing you learn in the Academy about passed out drunks. Sometimes it's easier to wake them up than carry 'em. Why don't you make sure she makes it to bed while I take her fur ball out for a walk."

His dreams were always the same.

Pain. Agony. Blood. No matter how many times he tried to change the outcome, struggled against the direction the dream always took, it ended the same way each. With him losing it all. He refused to give up. Because on of these times he was going to figure out how to win.

There was no way Khivar was going to win. That cocky son of a bitch was going to pay for every horrible deed he ever committed or thought of committing. He was going to personally dismantle the Royal house with his bare hands.

It didn't matter how improbable his objective was. He had absolutely nothing to lose. Everything had been ripped away from him and destroyed. He'd been beaten for entertainment. Tortured in ways he wasn't meant to survive. He had years of abuse to repay and he was ready to deliver his vengeance.

First things first, he had a mission to complete. Second, he needed to make himself wake up.


	3. Chapter 3

~~~ 3 ~~~

The muffed sound of the lawnmower from outside had Maria wincing from the unwanted intrusion. Not wanting to leave the dream world to whatever hell the hangover fairy had in store for her, Maria focused on the warm fuzzy images that were quickly fading away.

Where the hangover would be a physical pain that would most likely wreak havoc to the rest of her day. Maria knew how the dreams could create a physical pain inside her soul that could last for days.

Not really caring and wanting just a few more minutes with her dreams, Maria wiggled down to find a cool patch on her sheets. With a sigh she drifted off again.

The dream certainly was not what she'd signed up for. Usually her dreams were bitter sweet. Enchanting enough to dream through, but once the morning light pulled her away, they caused an ache inside her chest that took time to erase.

Mostly her dreams were happy moments none of them had the fortune to experience. Graduation. Weddings. Little life moments of cheerfulness and love.

In her dream world Alex never died, because Tess never invaded their group. Hell the big fat liar didn't even exist. Her mother was there. Vibrant, beautiful and so full of life. There was no such thing as past due notices. Or a declining economy. No, her world was perfect.

Perhaps she took some liberties when it came to the group of friends she held dear. Isabelle's Ice Queen veneer was melted away, leaving her carefree and ready for the love Alex was more than willing to provide. Liz, her life long friend was also unbound from the pain she'd been inflicted with, liberating her from the paranoia and anguish that had engulfed her life. Able to live by Max's side, free and disgustingly happy.

Then there was Michael. Her handsome, loyal and at times overly stimulating Michael remained almost the same. The sandy blond giant still had the knack of pushing her buttons like no one else could. Pushing her to her limits, apologizing with his trademark smirk when she was ready to snap. The only way she tweaked her tarnished knight was by making him at ease with his life on Earth. Content to stay on the planet with her, instead of hopping on the first spaceship out of town.

In some dreams they were back in High School. Living the lives they should've. School dances, Senior ditch day, last minute cram sessions. In her world laughter was in abundance. Love was freely given without any hesitation. Pain and suffering had been banished.

So when she drifted back into slumber she felt apprehension almost immediately. A prickling sensation tickled its way up her spine as her eyes took in the changes around her. The sunshine was replaced by a weight of oppression. Her friends were no where to be seen. The town was in utter chaos. Locals were running down the street in terror, weaving their way through a cluster of uniformed soldiers.

On first inspection it looked as though a tornado had torn through the center of the street, shredding anything in its path. The smell of smoke filled the air, as the far away sound of a siren got closer. She found herself standing in place, frozen as she watched her carefully designed dream world fall down around her.

It wasn't until she was able to gather her wits when she realized most of the store fronts on the street were still intact. The smoke was billowing out of only one shop. Dread filled her heart as she tried to get closer.

Before she could make it two yards to her destination, a hand wrapped around her arm pulling her back. She struggled, trying to yank away so she could confirm what her gut already knew.

"Where's the damn box?" Michael looked furious. Any sign of warmth was completely missing from his amber eyes. There was blood on his shirt and Maria couldn't tell if it came from the fresh cuts on his face or from someone else.

He looked different somehow. A little older, a little more rough around the edges. His hair had grown out even more. Michael's broad shoulders and thick chest were even more defined, if that was possible. No, something was off and she wanted it to stop right now.

This wasn't her happy place.

Another sound of a far away explosion made her jump. "Okay, I've had it. Time for Toto to get her butt back to Kansas pronto."

When she came to, Maria groaned against the unnatural self induced headache shooting daggers out from behind her eyes. Moving her fur covered tongue away from the roof of her mouth, Maria fought back the urge to barf.

"Stupid Vodka." Laying still, moving just enough to be able to breath, Maria tried to explain away her dream as a product of bottom shelf alcohol.

Opening her eyes would be monumentally stupid. Not much of a drinker, she was old enough to know from a handful of past experiences, the moment she tried to focus the room would start spinning. Her battle would be lost, while the rest of the day would be spent holding on tight to a porcelain toilet bowl.

Careful to not breath through her mouth, Maria breathed deeply through her nose. Pushing the last lingering image of Michael's angry expression from her mind, she went to work on making her body relax.

There were so many things she needed to get done today, before hitting the store for a few hours. She needed to start organizing the stock and move on to phase two of Jeff's plan to save her butt. The last thing she wanted to do was sort through the storage room, finding what she wanted to bring back to the apartment and what she needed to put on sale for the 'Going out of Business' sale she'd be having for the next three weeks.

Three weeks. It didn't seem possible that she had so little time to dismantle a store that took her Mother twelve years to build. She still had the vivid memory of the very first day the store opened. Could visualize exactly what her mother wore. A long, whispery gypsy green skirt and a fitted tee with the quote 'I think, therefore I am single' across the front.

She'd worked out a deal with the then owner of the UFO museum to hand out homemade coupons for ten percent off their purchase for that day only. Brightly colored and sprinkled with glitter those clever little coupons had been crafted at the kitchen table by two eight year old girls.

Helium filled, alien balloons were tied to the front door. As her mother's shoddy stereo played her favorite songs as she waited for her first wave of customer's. The alien theme was to pull in the tourists. It was the more pricey Native American items she sold to the parents of the screaming kids that really pulled in the big bucks.

The New Age, almost Wiccan items came a few years later. When a friend of her mother's retired from her life long occupation. It had been her mother's intention of selling off the stock and be done with it, but it soon became apparent it was adding a much needed boost to the books.

Kyle called it her Meta -fiction store. She liked to think of it as her mother's little miracle. But it had been her Mother's miracle, not hers.

Wiggling her toes, testing out how the motion would affect her, Maria knew no matter how badly she wanted to, staying in bed for the day wasn't an option. All she needed to do was get to the bathroom cabinet where the Advil lived and keep them down till they worked their magic.

Struggling in to an upright position, Maria moved her feet to the floor. Waiting for the swimming sensation to ease up, she sighed. As long as she didn't move too much, she should be fine.

"So what's the diagnoses?" Having seen the defeated look on his son's face before entering the garage, Jim really didn't need his son to tell him Maria's car was beyond repair.

Wiping the grease from his hands on a already filthy towel, Kyle blew out a heaved a sigh. "Shouldn't be that hard."

Brow furrowing, Jim eyed Kyle. "Really?"

"Sure." Shrugging, Kyle walked over to the Jetta and patted the already closed hood. "All I need is to find another Jetta, gut the thing out and put the engine block and transmission into this hunk of junk. After that it should run like a beauty."

Whistling, Jim folded his arms across his chest. "Have you told her yet?"

"Not yet." Kyle answered. "Thought I would kick her a few times while she's already down, before giving her the news."

"There's got to be something we can do."

"Dad." Knowing the look on his father's face, Kyle picked up a few stray tools and placed them back the large tool box in his section of the garage. "It's not about getting her another set of wheels. Heck, that's easy. The Jetta is more than just a car to her. It's moving history. She's already lost everything, when I tell her the Jetta has passed onto the big junkyard in the sky she's gonna be heart broken."

Being a man, Jim knew saying it was only a car was just plain blasphemy. The hand-me-down car had been to hell and back. "I suggest you stall. Give her some time to get through this upcoming week. We'll figure something out."

"Have you stopped by to see how she's feelin' this morning?" Not wanting to think about the Jetta, Kyle leaned up against his work bench and smirked when his big tough father blanched.

"Hell no." Shaking his head, his cheeks turning red, Jim rubbed a hand down his face. The last time Maria had had a little bender, he found her heaving into the toilet bowl, not wearing much. In his quick retreat to escape he'd tripped over his own damn feet and got a big goose egg on his temple.

Kyle laughed himself sick over it to this day. His son's sense of humor was at times disturbed. "Don't worry about it, I went there this morning. She was still out so I took Boy for a quick walk before hauling this piece of crap back here."

"Ya' know the dog's name is Spaceboy right?"

"I'm not calling him that." Shifting from foot to foot, Kyle made a face before turning back to the bench and sorting out the mess he'd made. He didn't understand why Maria had insisted on naming the golden lab such a stupid name.

Jim took in how tense his son got. It wasn't exactly the reference of Michael that brought out this reaction. It could've been any of the four. But mostly just the mention of Tess. It would send him into a tailspin for days. What Tess did to his boy was just down cruel. The knowledge that he could've stopped the others from leaving the planet with her, a killer, only because he remembered his involvement in Alex's death too late.

To stubborn to cave into Maria's insistence that the pudgy, sandy blond puppy was Spaceboy, Kyle would only refer to the little fella as Boy.

"So you taking that cute lil teacher you've been 'not' dating to the block party tonight?" With the rapid decline in the economy, there had been one small blessing that had come from it. Several of the older residents had started reminiscing over the last recession, talking about how would gather together their resources and throw a monthly picnic.

Closing down the street, to give the neighborhood kids free reign. Giving them space to play street games. Everyone's yards were open for old-fashion amusements like hide-n-seek and tag, games that had been replaced by video games and television.

This gave the adults a chance to relax and reconnect. It was a relief to many to find out they weren't the only ones suffering and stretching ever penny to make ends meet. It reinstalled a sense of community. To pull individual skills together to help when a neighbor really needed a hand. A sentiment that had been missing for years.

Jim hadn't been convinced the idea would stick. Honestly, he'd been finding excuses not to attend. But Mrs. Hamilton, a dear older woman who had supplied him with enough casseroles to sink a ship after his wife Carol passed away, refused to take no for an answer. The first reinstated block party had been a smashing success. So every second Sunday of each month became an event to look forward to, instead of dreaded.

"Just cuz we've gone on a few dates doesn't mean we're dating." The first sign someone was lying to you, was their inability to look you in the eye. In Kyle's case this couldn't any truer.

"Huh. Guess the times have changed." Smirking at his son's back, Jim shook his head.

"Yeah, guess we don't go-a-courting like you did in your day." Knowing his dear ole man was purposely razzing him, Kyle put the conversation in a different, safer direction.

"I don't know 'bout that." Controlling his features from showing his amusement in Kyle's discomfort , Jim refused to allow his son to get the upper hand. "Wasn't it you who got roped into going garage sale shopping last week? Did you hold her purse too? Ah, son don't look at me like that. Every man ends up losing their man card from time to time over a pretty female."

"I didn't lose-." Kyle's words were cut off when the building started to shake, followed by the ground vibrating to the point they both could feel it deep in their bones. The wall behind the work bench bounced off the wall as the tools showered down, a heavy monkey wrench barely missing Kyle's head.

The sound of broken glass was almost drowned out by the blare of multiple car alarms. Just above their heads, one of the support beams creaked in protest and it sounded as though the entire building was going to fall down around them.

Grabbing Kyle by the back of his uniform, Jim started dragging him to the open garage door. Once outside they barely had time to thank their lucky stars when the windshields of the three parked cars to their right exploded. Spraying broken glass down around them.

Just as quickly as the chaos erupted it stopped. Leaving Jim and Kyle staring at each other wide-eyed.

"What the hell was that?" The terrified beating of his heart shot all the way down to his thighs, making it hard to stand. "Earthquake?"

"Not like that." Trying to separate himself from the situation, it was hard to do when all he wanted to sit down until his hands stopped trembling. "Ground is the first to move, then everything else follows. Whatever that was . . . "

The air was filled with car alarms, quickly followed by the sounds of fire engines and other emergency vehicles. Slowly, Kyle processed what his Dad had said and an uneasy feeling tickled in the pit of his stomach.

Knowing there were other more pressing matters to see to, Kyle turned to the garage and stopped short in astonishment. Maria's, deader than dead Jetta's lights flashed in time with the blaring alarm that had been triggered.

"What the hell?"


	4. Chapter 4

~~~4~~~

Pain, brutal and unforgiving burned through his shoulder in electric waves. Webbing like long fingers down his back to play havoc with his ribcage. Just breathing became a major challenge and with every gasping breath his vision blurred. Moving seemed to be a futile option at that point. But he'd never been one to give in quietly.

With the small amount of energy he possessed, he reached up to feel his face. His brain felt like it had out grown his skull and he was ready to find his face swollen like a pumpkin. Instead he only found a large gash above his eye that screamed out when he gently probed it. He could tell the wound had already begun to clot, but not before making a mess of his clothing and the spot of the floor he'd collapsed on.

Rolling over onto his back with a loud groan, Michael stared up at the smooth surface of the Granolith. His head spun as though it had been used as a piñata, remaining motionless he allowed himself a brief moment to assess his current predicament.

They'd made a huge miscalculation on the last planet, or someone had sabotaged them. In his gut he already knew the answer and it was up to him to ensure there wasn't a repeat. It was a miracle the Granolith was still in one piece, seeing how the weaponry aimed their way was far more advanced than anything he'd ever seen.

Turning his head to the side, exerting more energy then it should've he quickly located his other companions. From his position he could see they were all breathing and that was good enough for him. For each of them to get onto the Granolith before being taken out, was just plain dumb luck.

Surviving on luck wasn't going to last long.

Hearing a grunt, Michael looked over to see Ant struggle to push himself off the ground, his arms shaking at the exertion. "You good?"

Ant grunted again. Large and intimidating, his friend was a man of few words in a literal sense. Michael was the only one who knew why he never spoke and if their other two companions ever found out they'd be in for the shock of their lives.

Moving cautiously across the chamber, Ant slumped on the ground next to Michael with another grunt.

"Don't waste any energy on me right now."

Ant snorted before placing his hand on Michael's shoulder. Soon warmth replaced the pain and Michael sighed in relief. Knowing how much energy his friend had just wasted, Michael stopped him when he went to place his hand on his forehead.

"It's just a scratch." Ducking his head out of the way, Michael got to his feet. The room spun as his feet moved on their own accord to keep himself upright. Swaying a few times in an attempt to compensate.

He wanted a reminder of what happened when he let his guard down for even a second. After the last seven years, he would've thought that particular lesson would've been engraved in his head. The few times he'd gotten sloppy, even for a millisecond, people died. Who else could honestly say they were responsible for entire planet's extinction? Forced into a game of cat and mouse, he was beginning to wonder if there was an option of winning.

As soon as the room stopped spinning, Michael erred on the side of caution and moved slowly to the console located in the center of the chamber. He wouldn't be doing anyone any favors by pushing his body past it's limit. Placing his hand against the screen, he waited for the flashing lights to do whatever it was they did.

Soon a grid materialized on the panel, at the same time information appeared on the left. Typically in the past, the Granolith would produce their current location and pertinent information needed for survival. For example, whether or not if the planet was compatible to their genetic structure.

It was always an added bonus, knowing if a planets atmosphere would kill them the split second they took a step out of their little flying ship. Other little facts, sometimes helpful sometimes not, would also be provided. A person never knew when small trivial facts would come in hand.

Michael's immediate frown only darkened as the Granolith started spitting out information. Feeling Ant at his side, inching closer as each new piece of data appeared, Michael felt moisture form on his brow.

"Can't be right." Muttering mostly to himself, Michael touched the screen. Swallowing against the pressure building inside his chest, Michael willed the stupid machine to erase the screen clean. No matter what he did, nothing changed. "What the hell!"

Really pissed now, Michael took a step back and was ready to fix the Granolith's problem the old fashioned way. Nothing wrong with a little good ole fashion aggression once in awhile. But before the sole of his boot could connect with anything, Ant gently pushed him out of the way before taking over.

Much more adept with technology, Ant's large, cumbersome hands moved like lighting across the screen. His expression going from perplexed to annoyed to panicked, didn't ease Michael's apprehension.

"Well?"

Looking up from the screen, Ant's deep brown eyes were troubled as he shrugged. Pain rippled across his face expressing more than any words could.

"Earth." His breathing turned ragged as his hand went to instinctively to run through his shoulder length hair. "No, it has to be wrong."

His brain wasn't programmed in a way to allow him to even consider their current location could be Earth. Something must've happened during their desperate escape. Maybe one of the blasts from the attack hit the consol, making act all wacky. Perhaps he was still out cold on the ground dreaming this shit up, he'd had stranger dreams. An idea came to him.

"Where's your handheld?" Holding out his hand waiting, Michael looked over to their companions. "Any idea who set the coordinates?"

Shaking his head, Ant handed over the small black object. Scowling, Michael pushed on the screen a few times. His expression only darkened as his eyes scanned the screen. His jaw clenched, as he started breathing deeply through his nose.

Whether it was his shaking hand or the deep growl in his throat, Ant was quick to the rescue the devise before it was broken into a million pieces. Technology never survived long around Michael.

Michael paced while he tried to find reasons as to why they were on a planet that no longer existed. With everyone of Ant's grunts, Michael felt his insides clench. Sneaking a look over at the large man, Michael knew it didn't matter how many times Ant tried to make sense of the data.

"Well?"

Ant could only blink, pain deep in his eyes.

"What ever happened to Earth exploding into millions of billions of particles?" Casting a glance over at the other two companions, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "And how did we end up here? Someone had to tell this hunk of junk where to go."

His voice bounced off the walls, making an uncomfortable Ant look over to ensure they didn't have an audience. Typically, Michael had an unnatural hold on his temper. It hadn't been an easy adjustment for him to hide his true feelings and emotions. For a guy who thought of himself as an emotionless stonewall, his friend never knew just how readable his expressions had been.

Through the years, Ant had seen first hand what it had cost Michael to become the savior the rebels of Antar believed him to be. If there was ever a person who deserved an emotional break down, Michael was a prime candidate. But not here, not now.

Stopping Michael in mid-rant, with only a shake of his head. Ant placed a calming hand against Michael's chest.

"This is bullshit. I can't do it. I won't do it."

Swinging his eyes to narrow in on their companions was the only thing Ant needed to do to stop Michael from saying anything more. There was a greater mission at sake.

"Fine. Whatever. Earth still exists." A look of disgust rolled across his face. "From what I heard, nothing good ever happened here anyways."

Minutes after the walls stopped shaking, Maria found herself still crouched in the hallway with a terrified puppy shivering in her lap. Shards of glass from pictures and light shade from above littered the carpet around her.

With a slowness caused by shock, Maria looked around her home wide eyed. Never in her life had she been through anything like this, and that was saying something. The inside of her apartment was trashed. It wasn't just a few items from shelves falling to the ground, it had been an entire shelving system being ripped from the drywall and hanging on with only one screw.

Trying to pry Spaceboy out of her lap, Maria was forced to carry him with her as she took a careful step around the glass on the ground. The loud sounds from the outside world filtering in weren't helping to ease the little fur balls nerves. Not that Maria could blame her little baby, the blaring sirens were rubbing her raw and she didn't have the super dog hearing.

The living room looked as though some Frat boy had thrown a raging party there for a few hundred drunks. Both lamps on her end tables were in pieces. Half the pane of glass from the large picture window behind the couch was missing. And her poor TV, it sickened her to see how un-reparable it was.

"What the hell?" Her legs were still shaking, as a loud bang on the front door startled her.

"Maria?" Mr. Snell, her elderly next door neighbor voice yelled through the thin door. "You in there?"

Hurrying to the door, she tried to put the dog down, only to give up at his urgent whining. "Mr. Snell? Oh my god, your forehead!"

Ushering him inside, Maria ignored Spaceboy's unhappiness of being dumped onto the ground. "Are you okay? Do you need to sit? Let me get you a bandage."

"Calm down." His voice sounded strong as he answered her back. "I spent twenty years in the Marines and ten living in California, I'm not as brittle as I look."

"I'm sorry." Her first aid kit already in hand, Maria stood ten feet away feeling stupid. He was almost eighty years old, standing calmly in her doorway, while she was younger and theoretically stronger and her knees were still knocking together.

"Don't worry about it." His voice was calm and oddly helped Maria get control over her runaway nerves. The corner of his mouth lifted before speaking again. "Ms. Leary in 2-B refuses to come out from under her kitchen table. Something about after shocks not getting the best of her. I stopped by to make sure you're in one piece."

"I am. My apartment on the other hand." Shaking her head at the mess, Maria set the kit down.

"You're lucky. The two end units caved in." Mr. Snell's typical no nonsense attitude was softened by the pain in his watery blue eyes. "Have you checked to see if your phone was working yet?"

"Ah, not yet." His logical thinking made no sense in her world of mayhem. Her brain was still mourning the loss of her precious television. Spying her over sized purse just inside the doorway, she hurried to it and started to burrow her way through all the crap she kept. Her hands were still shaking when she tried calling Kyle.

A robotic voice filled her head. Something about the circuits being down. Not really comprehending, Maria hit the end call before trying again. The same voice mocked her. "Guaranteed coverage my ass." Forgetting herself, Maria looked up at the older man, her lips forming into a O. "What I meant to say -."

"Maria, military for twenty years, remember? Trust me if that's the worst you got, I'll still consider you a lady."

Breathing in a deep breath, she nodded. "I have to be honest, I've never been in the middle of an earthquake before."

"I wouldn't really say -." A dark look paced over his weathered features. "Most of the apartments still have water, but electricity's out. If I were in your shoes, I'd be checking in on your store."

Crap! It was the last thing on her mind. Oh, who was she kidding? It hadn't even been a glimmer in her mind. How could something that had been life and death the day before, not even score the next?

"Right." But her mind went straight to Kyle and Jim. She needed to make sure the two people who had stayed by her side were alright. "I should go."

"If I may?" Mr. Snell had been backing his way out the door before stopping. "Just a few suggestions. Walk, don't drive. People don't really think clearly after something like this. Take water with you. And you may want to change."

Looking down at her outfit, Maria noticed for the fist time she was still wearing her outfit from the previous day. Her blouse was completely untucked, and both garments were wrinkled from a nights sleep. Looking even further down, her feet were still bare.

"I'll keep an eye on your place while your out." Giving her what she assumed could pass for a smile, Maria nodded numbly. For years Mr. Snell had been the head of their apartment unit's crime stoppers. A group of fuddy duddy's, who she always felt were really doing it so their spying on their neighbors suddenly had a purpose. .

When the door closed, Maria couldn't help herself and tried Kyle's number one more time. When that didn't work she tried the Crashdown, then just for giggles 911. None of the attempts went through. It was creepy, knowing how within minutes everything went from normal to apocalyptic. No power. No water. No freaking phones. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the situation was severe.

She didn't even want to think about how bizarre it was to have such a monumental experience happen after her recent unsettling dream. Thank goodness she'd majored in bizzaro during High School. Her survival instincts slowly kicked in as the desire to drop to the floor, into the fetal position while hyperventilating diminished.

She needed a game plan. Mr. Snell was right about people going bonkers and she didn't want to get caught up in the hysteria. Her gut told her she needed to find Jim and Kyle. That heading to her store could wait, because honestly what could she do on her own if something were to happen to that money pit?

Carefully making her way back to her bedroom at the end of the hallway, Maria gathered her shoulder length blond curls up into a ponytail. Practicality was the name of the game. She would need to forgo fashion for comfort. Searching her dresser for a pair of cargo pants she'd bought at the second hand store she couldn't help but remember when she'd bought them. The purchase was a complete waste of money she didn't have, but something deep inside her told her to get them anyways.

Pulling on a simple black tee over her head, she scouted the pile of shoes on the closet floor for something sensible and with good support. The task took a little longer than it should've, but the last thing she wanted was blisters on her feet.

Ten minutes later she was ready to go. A backpack of supplies over her shoulder and Spaceboy on his leash Maria let out a shaky breath before leaving the safety of her home.


	5. Chapter 5

~~~5~~~

There were a thousand other places Michael would rather be. A bikini wax would've been more preferable than being stuck in a tin can with a less than desirable ventilation system with three other people who hadn't bathed in days, if not months. But he knew from past experience they'd be burning away the next thirty minutes trying to play 'who's the big dog?' game. The hardest part was having to occasionally back down, even when he knew he was right, just to keep the game going.

"Come again?" Zara's sour expression looked doubtful as her large brown eyes searched Michael's eyes for the truth. Her rich chocolate brown curls hung past her shoulders, wild and disorderly from their near fatal escape.

"Earth." Hel pronounced slowly, as though speaking to a child. Still fuming inside, he glared over at the petite woman. Keeping his arms folded across his chest, Michael didn't trust himself not to strangle the little liar. He needed to figure out a way to keep a cool head. "You know, as in the planet you made us believe was space dust."

"You must've read the information wrong." Her eyes flashed in annoyance and if he wasn't mistaken a brief glimmer of fear. "And why are you looking at me like this is my fault? I was the one who reported to you guys what I had heard back on Antar. It's not like I had a chance to confirm the intel without blowing my cover."

Michael felt his upper lip curling back in preparation for the comment he forced himself to swallow when Ant nudged him from behind.

"You're right." Scratching his brow in frustration, it cost him to push aside the anger smoldering inside. "I was just thrown."

Zara's eyes softened as she took a step forward and placed her palm on his chest. "You know I would never do anything to hurt you."

Bile rose up the back of his throat and Michael forced what he hoped passed as a smile on his lips. "I know."

Pulling her into a close hug, his eyes connected with Ant's. Looking physically ill, the large man turned before anyone else could see his displeasure.

"We're good?" Her throaty words were spoken just loud enough for him to hear. Looking down into her upturned face, Michael wondered why it was that men always got fooled by a tight little body and a beautiful face.

"Yeah, we're good."

"So now that you two little love birds have kissed and made up, what's our plan of attack?" Trenor, a lanky blond haired genius inquired off-handed, but the look in his eyes spoke a thousand words. Michael knew he'd had a thing for Zara even before fate threw them all together.

"We need to get off this planet." Pulling out of Michael's arms, Zara's expression turned serious.

Frowning, Michael ignored Ant's irritated grunt from across the chamber. "Why? I thought we were looking for a planet that mimicked Earth's atmosphere and climate."

"Let's just say Earth didn't turn out so well the last time." Her words were clipped, her attitude pretty much said for all she was concerned, the subject was closed.

"Yeah, that's what you keep saying. How do you know you're source wasn't just as screwed up?" Watching her from behind, Michael smirked when he saw her tense up.

Spinning on her heel, Zara placed her hands on her hips. With a feral growl, her tiny teeth gleaming, she looked at the three occupants who were waiting for an answer. "Because Michael, the information came from you and Max before Khivar had Tess erase your memories of this pathetic hell hole."

"Fine. So what happened on this rock that was so bad?"

"These Earthlings are close minded, prejudiced morons. They were hell bent on grabbing the four of you and dissecting you piece by piece. Even the few humans you thought were friends turned their backs on you."

"Is that it?" Michael shrugged. "Cause I'm looking at the bigger picture here. There's a few thousand refugees in need of a new home. So far we've wasted seven years on planets we knew weren't going to pan out. So can you please explain to me why you're willing to check this place off your list without even taking a look?"

"Ah guys." Trenor spoke up from the console, only to be completely ignored.

"Isn't it enough that I want to save us from being hunted down by a race of primitive monkeys?" Zara snapped, her cheeks turning crimson from the pushback she was getting.

"Guys." Speaking up again, Trenor looked over to Ant for assistance when the fighting duo didn't respond, only to get a shrug from the giant.

"Monkeys?" That burning urge to shake her till her head popped off crept up on him.

"Does it really matter? Fine you want reasons why we should leave? One the atmosphere is toxic to our husks."

"Don't have one." Michael interrupted with a smirk.

"Fine, it isn't safe for rest of us." Her eyes narrowed. "Not to mention the few thousand individuals you've been entrusted to save. The last time you were here you were hunted by this planets government. They actually got their hands on Max until you saved him."

"All I heard out of that was something about the atmosphere here being lethal to the husks. I may be wrong, but wasn't there a serum created to cut down on the detariation of the husks."

"Why are you fighting me on this?" Zara asked. "You've never doubted me before."

It was odd, the more Zara lost control of her anger, the better he was at keep a lid on his. "Who said I doubted you? ."

"I hate to interrupted -."

"Shut up." Michael and Zara turned to their comrade and shouted in unison.

"Will do, once I share a little tidbit with you. The big boy here aint going anywhere, at least not for a few weeks."

His attention snagged, Michael hoped his expression didn't show how smug he was over the news. He'd be there all day arguing with Zara and now he got his way without having to play dirty.

If there was anything he'd learned about Zara over the years, besides not trusting a damn word out of her pouty little lips, was she could argue her point for days driving him absolutely nuts. Too bad he'd learned this a few years too late, and there was no taking back some of his truly stupid actions. He'd made his bed, and now he was trapped in it.

"What are you talking about?" Making it to the monitor in only three strides, Zara pushed Trenor to the side. "This has to be some kind of sick joke."

"Yeah, well while she stands there pretending to know more about the Antarian technology then I do, perhaps we should start coming up with an actual plan that doesn't suck and preferably one that doesn't include having weapons pointed at me. I'm way to delicate for these near death experiences." Trenor rubbed his hands together, trying not to be overly obvious as he distanced himself from the angry female.

Michael couldn't help but snort, Trenor was always good for easing the tension when things got tense. "Fine, any suggestions?"

"Well if I could be so bold, I would personally like to be as far away from what these Earthlings like to call a crash site." Trenor raised his hands and did air quotes with his fingers. "Like the Granolith could ever really crash."

"Valid suggestion." His head nodding, Michael looked over to where Ant was already packing supplies into a black bag.

"Ironically, the Big Guy here parked it's silvery carcass ten miles from a town called Roswell. Or also known to you as the town where it all started, just a little FYI."

Biting the inside of his cheek, Michael acted like he didn't see the dirty look Zara sent them. "That much I've gathered over the years. Population?"

"Forty-two thousand, two hundred and ninety-three." Trenor answered quickly. "Or at least that's what I saw on the consol over there. You know the one Zara is grumbling at."

Gritting her teeth, Zara glared darkly from her position. "I swear if you don't shut up I'm gonna punch you in the face."

"Right." Turning his back on her, he made a face at the other two males. "Oh, and during my research years ago about Earth, humans had infected the first landing site like cockroaches - these dirty, disgusting almost impossible to kill insects - within half an hour - thirty minutes - and was ready to shoot or dissect anything that looked even the slightest bit abnormal."

"That sounds promising." Still looking as though she was ready to physically hurt something, Zara stepped away from the machine to listen. "I can't see why we don't relocate a group of traumatized refugees here immediately. Sounds like a blast."

"Well we're about to find out first hand." Grabbing his satchel from Ant, Michael knew he was going to have his ass chewed out later but Trenor was right, they needed to vacate before they were discovered.

Walking down the sidewalk, her eyes wide in shock, Maria couldn't help but feel as though her home town had been shaken awake from years of slumber. People she hadn't seen in years, who lived only a block or two away suddenly appeared out of the woodwork.

Their shocked expression were identical as they hurried around their property, checking on the damage the quake had caused. Other's were rushing around, looking frantically for their loved ones, their skin a sickly grayish green color. These people didn't concern her as much as the unhinged ones. The ones who were yelling at anyone dumb enough to look in their direction.

Spaceboy, even at six months could feel the tension in the air, his little puppy nose twitched every few minutes as he looked back at her doubtful they should be venturing outside when their home was just a few blocks away. He'd even gone as far as giving her a few pitiful whines when they started out, begging to turn back.

But until she knew Jim and Kyle were unharmed, Maria knew she'd go insane locked in her apartment with no electricity or method of contacting the outside world. The phones were still out, she knew because every two minutes she'd dial several numbers just to see if her connection had been restored.

What was that saying about insanity? Someone who did the same thing over and over thinking they'd get a different outcome. Yeah, she bypassed sanityville quiet awhile ago. It was the only excuse she had for several things she done in the last few years. Not to mention in the last twenty four hours. Yeah, she'd like to say she'd gotten more mature over the years, had the ability to think things through before jumping in with both feet. Hell, she didn't even look to make sure the deep end was filled with water first before pitching herself over the side.

Right now she was working on her gut to make the right decision. It gave her head a break from having to do the heavy work. It also had the added bonus of giving her a ready excuse if she messed up.

So allowing her instinct to guide her, she found her feet heading in the direction of the auto shop Kyle worked. So, perhaps her brain had a little to do with her objective. Seeing her car missing from it's usual spot she instantly assumed Kyle had it towed so he could work his magic on it.

If she wasn't able to locate the Valenti men there, her back up plan included a five minute break to allow herself a good cry. Two minutes to pull herself back together again before taking the back roads to Main Street and hole up at the café. Jim was smart enough to look for her there when he found her apartment empty.

Trying to block out the terrified cries coming from the house she was passing, Maria picked up her pace. A part of her was torn to detour to the front door to make sure everyone was alright inside until the loud banging sound of gun shots echoed through the streets.

Spaceboy jumped, his feet tangling up in the leash. Crouching down to pick up his quivering body and hold it securely to her chest, Maria started to wonder why in the hell she was out there.

"Crap. Crap. Crap." Estimating her location to be smack dab in-between the shop and her home, Maria bit on her lower lip. Tears started to blur her vision as she violently wished she was off the street and somewhere safe with her friends, her teddy bear and childhood blanky.

'Maria?" And now she was hearing voices. More yelling filled her ears, only to be followed by a several more shots. Ducking behind a car, she leaned her back against the warm metal and squeezed her eyes shut.

"This is so unbelievably stupid. Great going Deluca." Feeling sick to her stomach, Maria began to rock back and forth.

"Maria, Jesus Christ what in the hell are you thinking?" Hearing Kyle's voice was like hearing a choir of angels sing. Even though at that particular moment he almost sounded like some chubby cross cherub.

The thought struck her as unbelievably funny and suddenly a giggle slipped from her lips. Soon, she found it hard to breath as her body shook in laughter, tears ran freely down her face. "Deluca you're scaring the piss out of me. We need to get somewhere safe."

"Earthquake in Roswell, New Mexico." Trying to swallow the giggling fit that had taken over, Maria whipped at her eyes. "Please, tell me you don't find this to be the stupidest thing in the world."

"Maria, you need to listen to me."

"Cause, God only knows this place is the next L.A. California."

"You need to shut up and listen to me." Shaking her, Kyle's expression looked on the verge of panic, but pure adrenalin forced him to swallow back the urge to break. "It wasn't some stupid earthquake. We don't know what in the hell it was, but it wasn't an earthquake. Are you listening to me?"

"W-What?" Blinking, Maria opened her eyes slowly. Looking into Kyle's face she saw past the dirt and grim and took in the seriousness in his eyes. "Czechs?"

"We don't know. Maria please I need you to get off the ground, cuz I really don't want to witness just how ghetto this place is gonna get. We both know how much the locals love the Second Amendment."

"Not an earthquake." Not sure if the news made her feel any better, Maria allowed Kyle to pull her to her feet. Relinquishing her hold of Spaceboy she stood on unsteady feet. "I had a dream last night."

"I'm sure you did. You were pretty loopy." Pulling her back toward her apartment, Kyle scanned the area as they hurried down the sidewalk. "Did you dream of cross dressed Teletubbies?"

"Weren't they to begin with?"

Looking thoughtful, but not breaking stride, Kyle licked at his dry chapped lips. "Yeah, whatever. I'm not really at the top of my game. Sue me."

Almost forgetting what she'd been saying, Maria took a few beats to pull the thought out of her foggy brain. "No, the dream was scary. The shop was on fire. People were running everywhere, screaming."

"Maria, perhaps we should table this for a few minutes.'

"Then Michael was there."

Her tiny voice sent chills up his spine. Christ, he didn't need to hear that. Too much was going on, if he had to stop and process what she was saying he might actually puke all over the Kingston's well groomed lawn.

"But in a way it wasn't him."

"Seriously Maria, not now." Running a hand through his sweat drenched hair, Kyle tensed when another round of gunfire broke out. "What is wrong with these people!"

"He was yelling at me." Their strides never broke as Kyle, kept pulling her along. Trying his damdest to ignore what she was saying, it was getting harder to concentrate on getting them to safety.

"Why in the world would you leave your apartment?" Pretending that he didn't hear her, Kyle to the path of poking at Maria, praying she would take the bait and start arguing with him.

"He kept asking about some box. Kyle, he was really pissed about it." Nearly tripping over the uneven sidewalk, Maria didn't so much as grumble at Kyle's less than gallant behavior when he refused to slow down. After another block he sudden stopped in his tracks.

"Repeat that."

"Repeat what?"

"That last part about a box." Frustrated she wasn't keeping up with him now that his interest was peaked, Kyle gave her an exasperated look.

Blinking, Maria repeated herself. "He wanted to know where some box was."

"A box Maria. Think about it. Think of a certain object which contains some very confidential items that don't actually belong to us."

"Oh my god." Placing her hands over her mouth Maria's eyes grew huge. "But - No. No, it's just a coincidence."

"Since when has there been any coincidences in our lives?"

"Since a spaceship left this planet seven years ago." Lifting her chin stubbornly, Maria glared over at her friend daring him to argue with her. "Besides, Liz is the one who has visions. Not me. And if there was any chance they were coming back she would be the first to know and you can bet your last dollar she would've come home. All that happened here was some horrible nature caused incident. That's all."

"Done?"

"Yeah."

"Believe what you want to Maria. Believe little fairies live in large ugly fungus or that there's a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. Hell, believe you actually like running your Mom's shop."

"I do." She instantly replied.

"Yeah. If you could please join me for just a moment in reality." Deciding to multi-task, Kyle grasped onto her hand again and guided her toward their destination. "I love you like a sister. I've been there for you over the years, right?"

"Of course."

"I've watched out for you. Made sure you didn't do anything stupid."

Caught off guard, Maria felt the familiar sensation of anger. "Do you have a point?"

"My point is, I can't do this on my own. I can't take care of you this time. I need the old Maria to help with this. You remember her. Strong willed, sharp tongued, obnoxiously independent."

His words stung and she couldn't help but gasp at his straight to the point manner. Unused to being talked to like that, Mariah felt momentarily insulted. As if she needed anyone to take care of her. She was strong, damit.

The apartment was within sight and Maria was preparing a rather nasty reply when something caught her attention. Kyle's large hand, wrapped around her much smaller wrist. Pulling to safety, while keeping his eyes open for any sign of danger. It was almost as though he was walking a two year old across the street.

It hit her with the subtlety of a flying brick. She had become codependent over the years. Allowing the small circle of people left in her life to take over when things got rough. Sure the last few years sucked, but it wasn't as though other people didn't a string of bad luck.

There were countries torn apart by war. Tiny children, who hadn't been given a chance to really live were being kidnapped and worse. School shooting, natural disasters, serial killers. She'd lost her mother to a horrible disease and the love of her life. She wasn't unique, her experience only made her human.

It was absurd she was having such an earth shattering epiphany when the entire town was on the verge of massive hysteria. Then again, leave it to her to need some extreme circumstance to make her see things clearly.

"Crap."


End file.
